In order to obtain comparative data of the four familiar structural materials exposed to severe fire conditions, Darchem Engineering Co., Ltd. (a test laboratory approved and certified by the British National Measurement and Appraisal System) was entrusted to carry out the test on the cable ladder (purchased from the market) A series of controlled experiments. The four materials tested were FRP, aluminum, galvanized steel and 316 (UNS 31600) austenitic stainless steel.

Fire test:

Modern cables generally have intumescent fireproof coatings to provide conductors with self-protection from fire. This kind of coating will expand and become brittle when exposed to fire, and cannot withstand many bending operations. Therefore, the cable ladder frame should be made of materials that will not be excessively deformed at high temperatures to avoid damage to the coating.

The experimental steps include: a 3-meter-long ladder frame receives a uniform load*, the load size simulates the weight of the cable, and 18 liquefied petroleum gas stoves are used for direct heating. The average temperature is 1000-1050 ℃, and the heating time is 5 minutes.

* The aluminum ladder frame purchased in accordance with the same standard specifications as the other three ladder frames has a thin section size. Therefore, in order to achieve the initial bending degree similar to other material ladder frames, the load during the test is only 455 kg, while the other material ladders The rack load is 609 kg.

Result:

FRP: The FRP ladder frame collapsed before the furnace was fully ignited, which made it impossible to obtain meaningful temperature measurements. The material was observed to ignite and smoke.

Aluminum: The aluminum ladder frame collapses in 26 seconds, and the time is too short to get a meaningful temperature reading. Because the ladder frame collapsed quickly due to the softening of the material and collapsed outside the fire zone, no molten metal was seen.

Galvanized steel: The galvanized steel ladder frame maintains its structural integrity within the specified 5 minutes. As the experiment progressed, large molten zinc beads could be seen dripping. The maximum average temperature recorded was 642 ℃, and the maximum temperature of a single ladder frame was 811 ℃.

Stainless steel: The stainless steel ladder frame maintained its structural integrity within the specified 5 minutes, and the test continued for 40 minutes without turning off the furnace until the gas was used up. Throughout the 45 minutes, the stainless steel maintained its structural integrity. The maximum average temperature of the ladder frame reaches 705 ℃, and the maximum temperature of a single ladder frame reaches 757 ℃. The average flame temperature exceeds 1000°C for 14 minutes.

• Keywords:

• Stainless Steel Coil

• Stainless Steel Pipe

• Stainless Steel Sheet

• Stainless Steel Rod